Ondo State Workers Begin Indefinite Strike Over Non-Payment Of Salaries

The government workers, who are currently demanding for the full payment of their five months’ outstanding salaries from the administration of the embattled Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, vowed on Tuesday not to rescind their action to ground activities in the State.

by SaharaReporters, New YorkJun 01, 2016

The aggrieved workers in the services of the Ondo State government will commence an indefinite strike on Wednesday over the non-payment of their wages, entitlements, and arrears on the orders of their labor leaders.

The government workers, who are currently demanding for the full payment of their five months’ outstanding salaries from the administration of the embattled Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, vowed on Tuesday not to rescind their action to ground activities in the State.

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko

Several union leaders told our correspondent that the workers, mainly civil servants in the State ministries and parastatals, would also be joined in a proposed protest to paralyze official work in the governor's office by some pensioners who were also been owned their gratuities running into years.

A large number of workers have also vowed to shut down medical operations at all government hospitals and emergency centers in the State, including government offices, during the period of the strike.

Some leaders of organized labor told SaharaReporters that the refusal of the government to pay the workers their outstanding salaries necessitated their action to call for a cessation of work in all government offices.

However, one of the leaders who spoke shortly before the union issued a statement at the end of their emergency meeting refused to answer one of the questions our correspondent posted to him demanding to know why it took labor so long to embark on this action in the guise of rescuing the helpless civil servants of the State.

“That is not the issue, leave me out of that. What is currently on board is how to collect our money from the hands of this so-called Egyptian government of Ondo State,” he quickly retorted.

Our correspondent reported that those in attendance at the meeting held in Akure were members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joint Negotiating Council, (JNC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other allies of organized labor in the State.

The embattled State Chairperson of the NLC, Bosede Daramola, and the State Chairman of the JNC, Oluwole Adeleye, were among the signatories to the statement earlier obtained by SaharaReporters.

The statement reads in part, “That it has become unbearable that workers have not received salaries for the past five months at a stretch.

"That non-payment of salaries to workers has affected the wellbeing of workers/pensioners, economically, socially, psychologically and health wise.

“That workers of Ondo State can no longer bear this situation, in view of the untold hardship suffered by these workers.”

A top government official at the office of the State Head of Service told SaharaReporters that the State government has been trying to meet with the labor leaders over the sudden action.

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